Signaling apparatus for telephone-lines



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F. B. POWERS. Signaling Apparatus for Telephone Lines. No. 231,087. Patented Aug. 10,1880.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. B; POWERS. Signaling Apparaetus for Telephone Lines. No. 231,087. Patented Aug. 10,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFEIQE.

FRANK B. POWERS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR TELEPHONE-LINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,087, dated August 10, 1880.

Application filed August 25, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. POWERS, of Springfield, county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Signaling Apparatus, which improvements are fully set forth in the annexed specification and in the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates chiefly to that class of signalingapparatus used on telephone-circuits, and has for its object the construction of a call-box, so termed, which can be operated to call any one box on the same circuit without causing the alarm-bell on any other than the called box to ring; and it consists of a ratchet-wheel arranged to be revolved intermittently in one direction by electric impulses sent along the main line, and having one of the notches in its periphery cut deeper than the others to serve as an alarm-notch, and of an alarm-notch guard arranged to operate with said wheel, and, at the will of the operator, to allow a bell to ring when said wheel is in a certain position, or to prevent said bell from ringing, and of a bell-circuit connector arranged to operate with said ratchet wheel and guard.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is arear elevation of my apparatus with the side of the box removed. perspective, of the ratchet-wheel, alarm-notch guard, and bell-circuit lever, showing their relative positions when the lever has fallen into the alarm-notch. Fig. 3 is front elevation of the parts named above in the description of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one end of the bell-circuit lever and of said circuitconnections under the same. Fig. 5 is a frontside elevation, showing the relative positions of the pointer, ratchet-wheel, the alarm-notch guard, shown partly in dotted and partly in full lines, and the bell-circuit lever. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the alarm-notch guard. Fig. 7 is a view of the front outside of the box, with the dial and pointer shown thereon.

In the practical operation of call-boxes on telephone-lines the constant ringing of all the and the said continual ringing of the bells tends to a disregard of any particular number Fig. 2 is a view, partly in that may be called, and the necessity thought to exist in some cases for calling the main office before communicating with a box on the same circuit frequently causes inconvenient delays.

My improved apparatus obviates the abovenamed objections, and enables any box to call any other one on the same circuit, and in so doing only the alarm bell of the box that is called is caused to ring.

- My apparatus is operated in the main-line circuit, and is'arranged to operate an independent alarm-bell circuit for each box.

I provide a suitable case, A, in which I place the working parts of my apparatus, se curing an eleet-ro-magnet, 13, therein, as seen. 2 2 are mainline wires, one connected to the magnet and one to a contact-point, 0, under the end of a key, D, which is provided with a push-button, E. The lower end of key D is connected with the magnet, as shown. Key D is shown in Fig. 1 pushed in, thus breaking the circuit.

An armature, a, is placed in front of magnet B on an oscillating lever, I), which is pivoted at 3. A second oscillating lever, c, pivoted at 4, is connected to lever l) by rod 5. To lever b is attached a hook, 6, which operates in the teeth of a ratchet-wheel, 7, to revolve it; and on the end of lever c is attached a retainingarm, 8, which operates to bear upon the upper side of the teeth on ratchet-wheel 7 when the magnet draws lever 1) toward it. Aretracting-spring, d, operates to draw lever Z) away from the magnet when the main-line circuit is broken. An adjusting-screw, 9, is set behind lever b in a post attached to case A.

In proper hearings in standards secured to the case a shaft, 10, is adjusted to turn, on which are secured the above-named ratchetwheel 7 and one of larger diameter, it. On the shaft 10, by the side of wheel h, is hung, as shown, so that it can revolve loosely thereon, subject, in a measure, to movements of wheel 71, an alarmnotch guard, 12, consisting of a segment of a flat ring, as seen in Fig. 6, attached to an arm, 13, the outer end of which arm is slightly weighted at 1%, said ring 12 having a shallow cut, 15, in its periphery, as shown.

In the side of wheel h is set a pin, 16, turna esaose in g partly over the face of ring 12, not confining it, but serving to carry the alarm-notch guard 12 around with wheel h to revolve it upon shaft 10 up to the position seen in Fig. 5, said pin being there shown against the side of arm 13.

Wheel h is provided with a series of ratchetteeth, as shown, all cut to a uniform depth, excepting one, 17.

Pivoted on the side of case A, and extendin g therefrom horizontally, is a bell-circuit lever, 18, having fixed to one side of it an arm, 19, having on it a friction-roller. To the under side of lever 18 is fixed a pin, 20.

Standing vertically in case A, under lever 18, are two metallic posts, 21 and 22, with which are connected two bell-circuit wires, 00 no, and to the top of one of said posts is secured, as shown in Figs. 4 and 1, a spring circuit maker and breaker, 23. Thus it will be seen that, when alarm-notch 17 on wheel h comes around under arm 19, lever 18, if permitted to act freely, drops low enough to allow pin 20 to strike on the end of the spring circuit maker and breaker 23, pressing it down into contact with post 21. This will cause'a bell to ring if it be connected into a circuit of which wires 00 a; form a part.

The shaft which carries the pointer on the dial in Fig. 7 is connected to and revolves with shaft 10.

The number of the divisions on the face of the dials-that is to say, the numerals and letters tl1ereoncorrespond with the number of teeth or notches on wheel h, and I mark upon the dial numerals up to such denomination as may be required to designate the whole number of all the boxes on one circuit, and the letters A, L, R, signifying answer, left, right also the 0, to indicate the point of rest for the pointer.

All the boxes designed to be worked on one circuit are constructed with ratchet-wheels h, having the same number of teeth or notches, and with dials identically numbered and lettered.

In operating a circuit fitted with my apparatus, to call some one number all of the boxes on that circuit will be acted upon simultaneously, and the movement of the ratchet-wheels h and pointers will be isochronous, the pointers being adjusted to stand at 0 on the dial when the line is not in use, and the arm 19 on the bell-circuit lever 18 may, while the pointer is in the above-named position, lie in any of the notches in wheel h excepting the alarm-notch 17 without causing the alarm-bell to ring; but when a pointer indicates the number of its own box the alarm-notch will be in a position to allow the arm 19 on lever 18 to fall into it and cause the bell to ringin the manner above described, if so desired by the operator.

The boxes are to be connected in a closed circuit, keyD resting against contact-point O. This causes the armature to be attracted toward the magnet and the lever b and the parts connected therewith to assume a position cor= responding thereto.

The operation of my invention is as follows, viz: It has already been stated that the pointers of all the boxes on the circuit should stand at 0 when the line is not in use. In a circuit in which there are eleven call-boxes the latter would be constructed with ratchet-wheels h, having in them 15 notches, as shown herein. 1n such a circuit, if box 7 wishes to call box 10 the former proceeds as follows, it being understood that, before commencing to call, arm 19 on lever 18 in box 7 is resting in the seventh notch ahead of the alarm-notch I7, and that arm 19 in box 10 lies in a notch ten ahead of the alarm-notch: No. 7 begins by pressing key D, breaking the main circuit, and allowing spring d to draw lever I), with armature a, away from the magnet, stopping against adj Listing-screw 9. Lever b, in its backward movement, carries lever c with it and moves hook 6 so that it engages with a tooth of ratchetwheel 7, and while key D is pressed in the parts just named will be in the position shown in Fig. 1. Upon releasing key D and closing the circuit the magnet attracts the armature, drawing forward lever 11 and causing hook 6 to rotate the ratchet-wheel one tooth, and through it shaft 10 and wheel h thereon and the alarmnotch guard 12 carried by the latter. When wheel 7 is revolved, as just stated, at the end of the movement of hook 6, in so doing the end of arm 8 on lever c is caused to press on the top of a tooth of said wheel 7 and prevent it and wheel h on the same shaft from rebounding. As wheel h revolves one tooth, as just stated, it passes under arm 19 of lever 18, on which is a friction-roller, the weight of said lever bearing on the periphery of wheel 7t, and as the point of a tooth of said wheel passes by said arm lever 18 drops, carrying arm 19 to the bottom of a notch.

Thus, by so operating key D nine times, each operation revolves said wheel h, as above stated, one notch. After the ninth one the ratchet-wheel of box 10 will have revolved to the position shown in Fig. 5, carrying with it the alarm-notch guard 12 to the position there shown, with the upper weighted end of arm 13 inclining over beyond shaft 10. Said guard is nearly balanced in this position upon shaft 10, the said segment of a ring hanging upon one side thereof and the weighted arm 13 upon the other side, arm 13 lying lightly against pin 16, owing to the slightly overbalancing weight of segment 12. Said guard, whose diameter, except for a short distance from its forward end, is about that of the extreme diameter of wheel h, is also partly held in the position just named by the weight of lever 18 upon it bearing in cut 15 thereon. Said guard is carried around with wheel h by pin 16in the latter, so arranged that it comes in contact with the side of arm 13, as seen in Fig. 5. Thus the passage of guard 12 under arm 19 gradually lifts lever 18 and supports its weight.

The next or tenth operation of key D will revolve wheel It so as to bring the alarm-notch 17 directly under arm 19, and the sudden movement of wheel h, under said tenth operation, quickly driving pin 16 against the side of arm 13, throws it forward, causing the guard to rotate under arm 19 much in advance of the wheel h, and if the operation of key D ceases here lever 18 Wlll drop so as to force pin 20 against the circuit-connector 23 and cause the alarmbell to ring, as stated.

In calling over the circuit to box 10, and to prevent any alarm-bells of other boxes than of that to be rung while so doing, the operation of the ratchet-wheel h and alarm-notch guard in other than the called box is as follows: When calls over the line cause the wheel h to revolve and bring the alarm-notch under arm 19 the guard is always between the said notch and said arm, and if one electric im pulse after another is sent over the line in regular succession until the required number is reached, no arm will drop into the wrong alarmnotch, for the segment portion 12 of the guard will bear up arm 19 of lever 18 while the alarm-notch moves forward beyond arm 19, but said guard is, while so supporting arm 19, moving around by the side of wheel h, dropping the arm on wheel it behind said alarmnotch. Box 10, having heard the alarm-bell, operates his key to bring the pointer to A on the dial, thus letting box 7 know that he is waiting. No. 7 now indicates to 10 to switch to the right or left by operating to set the pointer at letter R or L. If No. 10 does not answer No. 7s call, No. 7 works his pointer around to 0 on the dial and awaits another chance for communicating.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with ratchet-wheel 7 on shaft 10, of levers b and 0, arranged to oscillate together by magnetic action, substantially as shown, and provided with hook 6 and arm 8, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with ratchet-wheel It, provided with an alarm-notch and lever 18, of the alarm-notch guard 12, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in an electric signaling apparatus, of the lever to close and open the alarm-bell circuit, the ratchet wheel having the alarm notch 17 in its periphery, and arranged to revolve with a pointer which moves over a dial having numerals and letters thereon, as shown, and the alarm-notch guard to co-operate with said ratchet-wheel to control the downward movement of lever 18 when said pointer indicates a certain numeral or letter on said dial, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

FRANK B. POWERS.

In presence of- H. A. GHAPIN, WM. H. CHAPIN. 

